NZ Women lock horns with South Africa Women in match No. 7 of the Women’s World Cup 2025 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Monday, October 6. Two bruised teams, one more than the other, face each other in Indore searching for a win to get their World Cup campaign off the ground. This game presents both sides with a chance to course correct early. For South Africa Women, it’s also an opportunity to get one back at NZ Women to whom they lost last year’s T20 World Cup final to.
After facing defeats in their respective campaign openers in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025, NZ and South Africa will take on each other in the seventh game of the tournament. Both teams will aim to win this game and register their first success in the tournament’s current edition.
Two wounded yet resolute teams – NZ and South Africa – will meet in Indore for the 7th match of the Women’s World Cup 2025. Both sides are desperate to get their campaigns back on track after disappointing starts, and this encounter offers a crucial chance to reset momentum early in the tournament.
NZ-W vs SA-W : Previous Performances
New Zealand’s World Cup began with a loss to their trans-Tasman rivals. Despite getting into a position of strength, having Australia down 128/5, they were unable to drive home the advantage after failing to halt Ash Gardner’s rampage. While Sophie Devine kept them in the chase with a valiant century, insufficient support from the rest meant that they fell 89 runs short. Still, there were enough positives for them to take away unlike their upcoming opponents.
New Zealand Women lost to Australia Women by a margin of 89 runs while chasing a target of 327 runs. The White Ferns were bowled out at the score of 237 runs in 43.2 overs. Skipper Sophie Devine’s brilliant century (112 runs off 112 balls) went in vain as the other batters couldn’t contribute enough to help their side chase the target successfully.
Now, Devine and Co. will aim to beat South Africa Women and register their first win in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025. In their last five ODIs, NZ Women have won and lost two games each, alongside a game ending without any result.
South Africa will want to wipe out what happened in their opening game and treat this one as their first of the tournament. “We need to put it behind us as quickly as we can and move forward,” said Laura Wolvaardt in the aftermath of their shattering shellacking against England.
That could prove far easier said than done as the wounds of a catastrophic batting failure, that saw them get bowled out for just 69, are likely to linger. Their -3.773 Net Run Rate will also be a scar they’ll carry. And with a game against India coming up after this, the pressure to show up and perform will be palpable in the South African camp.
On the other hand, South Africa Women faced a horrific collapse in their campaign opener against England. They were bundled out at the score of just 69 runs in 20.4 overs, with wicketkeeper-batter Sinalo Jaffa being the only batter to reach the double-digit mark as an individual score, hitting 22 runs off 36 balls.
Later in the second innings, England Women successfully chased down the 70-run target in just 14.1 overs, scoring 73/0. So, the Proteas Women will look forward to forgetting the last outing and securing their first success in the tournament. South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt and New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine will have to motivate their teams after the morale-crushing defeats. The Proteas have won six out of the seven ODIs they have played against New Zealand.
NZ-W vs SA-W : Head to Head
South Africa Women have dominated New Zealand Women completely in the last five matches of their head-to-head battle. The Proteas Women have won four matches, while New Zealand has won only one game.New Zealand hold the edge with a 12-8 record overall and a 3-1 record in ODI World Cups.
| Matches Played | 20 |
| NZ W Won | 12 |
| SA W Won | 08 |
| No Result | 00 |
| First-ever Fixture | February 13, 1999 (NZ W Won) |
| Most-recent Fixture | October 1, 2023 (NZ W Won) |
NZ-W vs SA-W : Pitch and Weather Report
The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore is known for producing some brilliant surfaces for batting. In the game between Australia and New Zealand, the track was generally good for batting, but some balls did keep low. The captain who wins the toss would want to bat first and post a substantial score.
Indore rolled out a flat track for the opening game and Australia piled on 326 batting first. A different surface will be used for the second match, but weather could be a factor. It rained heavily the day after the first game there and conditions are expected to be overcast with hazy sunshine. As Suzie Bates put it, “It’s all about who adapts the best tomorrow because it is a different wicket, and it can play differently.
Indore presented batting-friendly conditions during the previous game between Australia and New Zealand. That’s expected to continue with a flat pitch, small boundaries and a quick outfield.
NZ-W vs SA-W Big Picture : Will NZ-W or SA-W bounce back would be interesting to see
New Zealand and South Africa meet for the first time since they contested the 2024 T20 World Cup final in October last year, under rather different circumstances. Both teams began their Women’s World Cup campaigns with heavy defeats and there’s little to choose between them as they face off in Indore on Monday.
New Zealand’s 89-run defeat to Australia laid bare familiar concerns with the bat; they crumbled in a chase of 327 despite a century from Sophie Devine. Since the start of 2024, they have lost ten of 15 ODIs – a result of their inconsistency with both bat and ball. To add to their challenges, they entered this World Cup without playing a single ODI in the six months leading up to it.
While there have been individual performances, the batting unit will be eager to click collectively. New Zealand have scored 250-plus only twice since 2024. In the bowling department, they have a mix of youth and experience with Lea Tahuhu, the Kerr sisters – Jess and Amelia – along with Bree Illing and Eden Carson, forming a unit capable of making a difference.
South Africa had a disastrous against England in Guwahati, where they were bowled out for 69. They will look for a reset in Indore. They remain a top-heavy side, with Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, and Marizanne Kapp scoring the bulk of their runs. But their last two ODI defeats – including a 115 all out against Pakistan – have been due to severe batting collapses. A third in a row will be difficult to come back from in this tournament.
NZ-W vs SA-W In the Spotlight : Tazmin Brits and Suzie Bates
Tazmin Brits has hit peak form in 2025. In ten ODIs this year, she has scored four centuries and one half-century, averaging 81 at a strike rate of 93.91. Known for her power game, Brits has made noticeable improvements against spin. With the in-form Laura Wolvaardt at the other end, the pair forms a strong right-hand opening combination capable of dictating terms. If they get going, South Africa could get the platform they’ve lacked in recent ODIs.
Suzie Bates will make her 350th international appearance for New Zealand on Monday – a landmark in the women’s game. The veteran remains a key presence in a top order featuring Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr. Although she fell for a duck against Australia, Bates has scored three half-centuries in her last seven ODI innings. As New Zealand aim for their first win of the tournament, Bates will be eager to mark the occasion with a defining innings.
NZ-W vs SA-W : Vital Stats that matters
- Suzie Bates, the third -highest-run-scorer in Women’s ODIs, is 104 short of 6000
- Marizanne Kapp is two away from breaking into the top five wicket-takers in women’s ODIs. She has 169 scalps from 154 matches.
- Wolvaardt and Brits have scored nine ODI hundreds between them since 2024.
- New Zealand have not scored a 300 in ODIs since the start of 2024.
- This game will be Sophie Devine’s 300th and Suzie Bates’ 350th international appearance for New Zealand
NZ-W vs SA-W : Team News for New Zealand and South Africa
South Africa Women :
South Africa may reconsider their XI after leaving out allrounder Annerie Dercksen – one of four batters to make a century for them since the start of 2024 – for Anneke Bosch, who has neither been a regular nor scored a fifty since December 2023.What do South Africa even change after a devastating loss like that.Ideally nothing.
Probable Playing XI for South Africa : Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
New Zealand Women :
Left-arm spinner Flora Devonshire was ruled out of the World Cup with an injury to her bowling hand and seamer Hannah Rowe was named her replacement. However, New Zealand are unlikely to change the side for their second match in Indore.Hannah Rowe is expected to join the squad only on October 7. If Rosemary Mair is fit and available for selection, New Zealand may consider bringing her in.
Probable Playing XI for New Zealand : Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (C), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (WK), Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Bree Illing.
NZ-W vs SA-W : Probable Top Performers
Probable Best Batter: Sophie Devine
Sophie Devine scored a fantastic century in the last game against Australia. She smashed 112 off as many balls, hitting 12 fours and three sixes. The right-handed batter almost single-handedly kept her team in the race during her knock. Devine will be high on confidence and will look to continue his purple patch on Monday.
Probable Best Bowler: Marizanne Kapp
Marizanne Kapp didn’t have too many runs to defend in the last game. However, cricket enthusiasts know her capabilities with the new ball very well. If Kapp can get the ball swinging, she can cause a lot of difficulties for the England batters inside the powerplay.
NZ-W vs SA-W : Match Prediction
Case 1:
- New Zealand Women wins the toss and bats first
- New Zealand Women’s powerplay score: 70-80
- New Zealand Women’s total score: 300-320
Case 2:
- South Africa Women wins the toss and bats first
- South Africa Women’s powerplay score: 60-70
- South Africa Women’s total score: 280-300
Match result:Team to bat first will win the game.
Also Read: Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: A Plot Twist No One Saw Coming